In an unusually bombastic article, perhaps caused by the desperate realisation that even the Israeli "middle-left" doesn't support him, Akiva Eldar has the chuzpah to write the following in today's Ha'aretz.

Moreover, two-and-a-half years ago, that same "rightist public" was supporting a withdrawal from most of the territories and the division of Jerusalem. Despite what he called media exaggeration about what Barak was ready to concede, former American envoy Dennis Ross has said in interviews that the day after the Camp David summit, "there was complete silence from the Israeli public."

Where was Eldar during the Jerusalem rally, amongst the largest public demonstrations in Israeli history? Where was Eldar when the public protested against Barak's anti-democratic abuse of power, when he resigned in order to avoid a no-confidence motion that was set to topple his government, yet still insisted on blithely negotiating Israel's future? Where was Eldar when the Israeli public responded to Barak's activities not with resounding silence, but with a resounding boot in the backside, kicking him so far out of power that even his own party felt ashamed of him? Why cite Dennis Ross as the authority on Israeli public opinion?

It's become the vogue amongst Ha'aretz journalists and their circles to rewrite history. But at least they could have the decency to rewrite "ancient" history, like the lead-up to the 1967 war, and not modern history.posted by Ribbity at 9:32 PM